Honey Bee
by writersblock2121
Summary: Jennifer Milchard is confused and lonely when the dead begin to walk. She has no idea how to survive or defend herself. When she finds herself on the verge of dying, she is saved by a man who she now owes her life. What happens when just a simple rescue turns into a friendship, or something more? Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1

Jennifer is running on low. She hasn't eaten anything for days, and has only gotten a few hours of sleep. Still, she continues to walk through the woods, hoping to find somewhere to stay before it gets dark. Her body is aching all over, her stomach screaming in protest, but her legs continue to move. The only thing she has is her bag filled with a half dozen crackers, an empty bottle of water, a kitchen knife, and a wad of money.

She came from the highway. Her car had broken down, and she had no idea how to fix it. Marchers, which were what she called these things because they always traveled in a group, sort of like a parade, had taken over the highway and her only hope was to run into the woods. She wasn't cut out for all this running. She had been a secretary at a law firm for years. She had no idea how to survive.

Jen hears a rustling behind her, and doesn't stick around to find out what, or who, it was. She breaks off into a full sprint, using all the energy she had left to dodge bushes and maneuver through the trees. She bursts through a wall of trees into an opening with a stream flowing through the center. She looks behind her to see if anything is there, and there isn't, but that doesn't stop her from running.

When she whips her head back around, she loses her balance and falls face first into the stream. The force of the fall plus the fact that she hadn't eaten caused Jen to feel dizzy. She tried to move her legs, but they wouldn't move. She flips herself onto her back. The moon was the last thing she sees before she blacks out.


	2. Chapter 2

Just as the sun begins to rise, Daryl decides to go into the woods and hunt. He couldn't sleep that night, and he needed something to distract himself. He grabs his crossbow and hunting equipment, and walks into the woods next to Hershel's farm. He follows the path he follows almost everyday into the heart of the woods where it is quiet and easy to hear animals.

The sun is slowly rising as he hikes along the trail, shooting squirrels and rabbits and he goes along. He doesn't think about much. What is there to think about in times like these? His mind wanders to what his life would have been like if this never happened. Would Merle still be making his life a living hell? Would he have lived a happy life? Could he live a happy life? He decides to stop thinking about that and continue focusing on hunting.

He walks for a while before he could hear the soft trickle of the stream not too far from the farm. He steps into the clearing, and bends down next to the stream. He splashes some water onto his face to wake himself up.

When he looks up, he sees a brown bag floating in the shallow water. He walks over and picks it up, peeking inside. There is not anything useful in there. He looks around to see where it might have some from, and he ses a woman lying in the stream about twenty feet away.

"Shit," Daryl says as he runs over to her, crossbow in hand. He gently nudges her with his foot to see is she's a walker, but she doesn't move. He puts his crossbow away and pulls her out of the water. He bends down to her chest, and he hears a faint heartbeat. "Thank god," he breathes as he picks her up and runs back to the farm.


	3. Chapter 3

Daryl runs through the trees as fast as he can with Jennifer, cold in his arms. She is soaking wet, and it had seeped through the front of all his clothes. He bursts through the edge of the trees into the field in front of Hershel's house, his momentum continuing to push him. He sees that some people were awake at the camp, and he yells out to them.

"Hey!" he yells, "get Hershel!" He watches as Rick runs into the house just a few dozen feet in front of him. A few seconds later, Daryl is coming up the porch steps, and Hershel is running to the front door, Maggie, Beth, and Patricia following him.

"Bring her in!" says Hershel as he rushes to the bedroom. "Set her on the bed."

Daryl puts the unconscious Jen onto the bed, and Hershel immediately begins asking him questions. "What happened?" He asks as he checks her vitals.

"I don't know," Daryl replies. "I found her blacked out in the stream. Is she gonna be alright?"

"We have to get her out of these clothes. Maggie, go get her a change of clothes."

Maggie runs out of the room, and Hershel continues the questions. "Was she bitten?"

"I don't think so."

"Did you find anything that could tell us who she is? Anything?"

"I just found her bag," he says, holding up the bag. "All it's got is a few crackers, a empty bottle, a knife, and some money. No ID or driver's licence."

Just then, Maggie rushed into the room with a pile of clothes. Hershel turns to Daryl and says, "Come with me to get an IV while Maggie, Beth, and Patricia change her and search for bites." Daryl nods in agreement and follows Hershel out of the room.

After an hour, Jen is in stable condition. She is in dry clothes, and she has an IV giving her fluids. She has not woken up yet, and Daryl stands in the doorway watching over her. Carol walks up to him with a plate of food.

"You should eat," she says, holding the plate out to him.

"Not hungry."

"You have to eat something. You've had a long morning." Daryl gives in and takes the plate. "I hope she's going to be alright."

He slowly eats the food, and when he's done, he decides to take his mind off of it all by walking out to the camp. "How is she?" asks Lori, who is sitting next to the firepit.

"She hasn't woken up yet," he says as he walks past her into his tent. He flops down onto his bed and stares at the ceiling. He really needs some sleep, but he knows he won't get any until he knows if that girl is okay. He wasn't going to lose anyone on his account.

He could feel himself drifting off, but he has to stay awake. After god-knows-how-long, Daryl finally surrenders and lets himself get some sleep.

Suddenly, something jolts him awake. It's Maggie at the front of his tent. "Daryl? You in there?"

He sits up and collects himself. He unzips the door to find Maggie there with a smile on her face. Judging by the activity of everyone, it must have been late afternoon. "What's up?" he asks.

"It's her. She's awake."


	4. Chapter 4

Jen's eyes slowly open at the sound of people talking. Her head is pounding, and she has no idea where she is. In the seconds that she wakes up, she realizes she's lying on a bed in a bright room. She tilts her head up a little, looking at the people that are talking just at the foot of the bed. They're both men, one older with white hair, and the other younger, taller, and well-built. She listens to what they are saying.

"How long until she'll recover?" asks the younger one.

"I don't know. Could be days," replies the older one.

"We can't keep her here. We'll keep her until she's back on her feet, then she has to leave."

"I understand, Shane, but we'll have to wait until she wakes up to know how she's recovering."

The younger one shifts on his feet, obviously stressed. "Just tell me when she wakes up," he says before he leaves the room. Jen looks around the room, and she sees and IV bag next to the bed. She follows the tube with her eyes and sees it in her arm. Why is that there? She panics and tries to pull it out. She struggles to get it off as the older man rushes over to her.

"Hey, hey, hey. You're alright," he says as he grabs her arm, stopping her from ripping he IV out of her arm. Jen is too afraid to speak. Her senses are fuzzy, and she has no idea where she is or if these people are going to hurt her. The older man must have noticed her fear. "It's not going to hurt you. You're dehydrated. You need it." Maybe it is because she was a bit groggy, but she feels like she could trust him. She relaxes, and the man lets go of her arm.

"Maggie!" the man calls out. A young woman younger than Jen with short brown hair steps into the room. Her face lights up when she sees Jen. "Go get Daryl and tell him she's awake." Maggie rushes out of the room, and Jen hears the front door open and close. The older man grabs a bag of medical supplies, and he begins doing a simple check-up.

As he's checking her blood pressure, he begins asking her questions. "I'm Hershel. That was my daughter, Maggie. What's your name?"

"Jen. How—how long was I out?"

"Well, Daryl brought you in this morning, about ten hours ago. Do you remember anything before that?"

Just then, she hears the front door open and close again, and she hears the thumping of boots coming closer to the room. The footsteps stop, and a man stops in the doorway. He has brown hair with long sideburns, and he has on a dirty sleeveless shirt, but the thing that she notices first about him is the way he seems like a protector to the group. He looks at her, and a sense of relief rushes over his face.

"Is she alright?" he asks.

"She's fine," says Hershel, finishing up his "check-up". "This is Daryl, the one who brought you in. Daryl, this is Jen."

"Thanks," Jen says, quickly glancing at the man, Daryl. She's embarassed that she had to be saved in the first place. Daryl just nods his head.

"She needs something to eat," says Hershel, walking past Daryl and out of the room. Daryl and Jen were left in the room alone, neither one gaining the courage to look at each other.

A voice calls out from the other room, "When did she wake up?" Before they got an answer, the same man that was talking with Hershel before steps through the door. He stands at the foot of the bed like before, his thumbs in the waistband of his pants.

"I'm glad to see you're awake," the man says. "But we need to talk."

"Shane," Daryl cuts in, "now's not the time. She just woke up."

Shane ignores Daryl and continues, "This here is not a permanent arrangement." Jen nods her head. She suspected this would happen. "When you get on your feet, we'll provide you with some food and ammo, then you're gone. Alright?"

"Alright," Jen replies, slightly hurt by the tone of his voice. A young blonde girl no older than sixteen walks in with a plate of food. Jen's mouth begins watering. She can't remember the last time she had a real plate of food. She takes the plate and begins digging in, not caring whether she looked like a savage or not.

"I'm Beth," the young girl says. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Jen." The young girl smiles and walks out the door followed by Shane. Daryl is still standing at the door, watching her. "You can sit down if you'd like," Jen says to Daryl, not knowing what else to say. Daryl walks to the other side of the room and sits in the wooden chair. "Thanks again for saving me. I owe you my life."

"You don't owe me anything," he says quickly. "Anyone would have done the same thing."

It is quiet between them as Jen finishes her meal. She looks out the window that the bed is facing, and she sees a small camp of tents in the yard. A group of people are out there talking. "Do you guys stay there?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't you just stay in the house?"

"Long story."

Jen just nods. So he isn't much for talking. She's okay with that. She watches the people outside. They look so happy and safe. She wishes she were able stay, but Shane had made it awfully clear that she isn't welcome. She looks at Daryl. He seems different from the others. Why is he with her instead of out there with his group?

Hershel walks back into the room and reports to Daryl, "They wanted me to tell you that dinner's ready."

"M'kay," Daryl mumbles as he walks out of the room. Jen watches as he walks over to his camp and sits down with his group of survivors, wishing so bad that she was still safe and sound— as safe as one can be in times like these —with her group.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun has set, and through her window, Jen can see the group of survivors outside around a fire. They were talking about something, probably her. She could feel herself getting angry. If they were going to make her leave anyway, why should she stay? That's when Jen made a decision.

She sat up in the dark room, and she carefully took the IV out of her arm. Everyone thought she was asleep, so no one would come to check on her until she was long gone. She crept out of her room and started looking around for a way out. She found the front door, and saw her bag hanging there. She took it and looked inside. Her stuff was still inside. She pulled it around her shoulder and walked through the house until she found the back door. Jen opened it quietly. She walked out, not bothering to close it.

She could hear the group talking. She crept around the side of the house to listen. She could see the larger man, Shane, was frustrated and angry.

"We can't let her stay! We've got enough problems as it is! She'll only slow us down!" he yelled.

"You don't know that, Shane," a man she didn't know said in a calm voice.

"Yeah. How do you know she won't bring somethin' valuable to the group?" said Daryl.

"I don't know if you saw her in there, but she doesn't exactly look like the kind of person who can fight!" Shane yelled again.

She had heard enough. She walked to the back of the house towards the woods. She had to walk a while before she even got to the woods, but once she was there, she felt confident that they wouldn't be able to find her.

She had only walked for a few minutes before she heard something in the woods. The moonlight lit up the woods, and she could see a marcher coming up to her. She wouldn't be able to run if she wanted to stay away from the house, so she decided to kill it herself. She reached into her bag, trying not to look away from the marcher. It was coming at her faster now, and she couldn't find her knife. She finally got a hold of her knife, and she lunged at the marcher. Before she could reach it, an arrow shot through the air and went straight through it's eye. She turn around quickly to find herself face to face with Daryl.

"Where do ya think you're goin'?"

"How did you find me?"

"I came to check on ya, and you were gone. Where are ya going'?"

Jen stood up straight and held her head high. "I'm going to live on my own."

"Do ya think you'd be able to take on a walker all by yourself?"

"I almost had him," she pointed to the dead marcher on the ground. "If you would have stopped being a hero for five seconds, you'd figure out that I didn't need help."

"How about a herd of 'em? You think you'd be able to take all them on by yourself?" Jen was silent. "No one can survive on their own out here. You need a group that you can trust."

"Can I trust you guys?" Daryl nodded. "Can I really? Because it doesn't really feel like I'm wanted there."

"Just ignore Shane. Everyone else is fightin' for you to stay. They know that no one can do this alone. Come back to camp, and we'll talk about it. If ya still want to leave, we won't stop ya."

Jen shifted on her feet. He was right. She couldn't do this on her own. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Lead the way."

Without saying a word, Daryl turned and lead the way back to the house. Jen watched his crossbow bounce on his back, the way his shoulders moved when he walked, and his arms moving with them. They emerged in front of the house, and everyone turned to look at them. Jen suddenly felt very nervous, very very nervous. She continued to walk towards the camp behind Daryl. They stopped in front of everyone, and no one said anything.

"She tried to run," Daryl said, breaking the silence.

"Then let her run! She's not our prisoner!" said Shane, standing up.

"She almost got eaten by a walker!" Daryl raised his voice. "She ran because she didn't feel welcome here! God damn it, Shane! She almost died because of you!" He was standing in front of Shane, and they were glaring at each other.

Shane lowered his voice but kept the same amount of hostility. "It's not my fault she almost died. She seems to be pretty good at doin' that on her own."

"Son of a bitch," Daryl said, and he charged at Shane. He was held back by the man with the calm voice before he could actually hit Shane.

"Daryl!" he yelled. Daryl escaped his grip, and walked to a tent without saying a word.

Everyone shifted their gaze to Jen. A woman stood up and walked to her. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," said Jen, her voice quiet.

The man with the calm voice walked up to her. "I'm Rick, and this is my wife, Lori. You weren't bitten, were you?"

"No, no, I wasn't bitten."

Just then, Hershel and Maggie came out of the house. "What's goin' on?" Hershel says, obviously not amused. He looks at Jen and asks, "What happened?"

"I ran," Jen said in a soft voice. She cleared her throat and repeated, "I ran and encountered a marcher, but Daryl helped me."

"Why don't we all get some sleep, calm down, and we can talk about this in the morning?" said Rick.

"Yeah, okay."

Hershel led Jen back inside. He decided that she didn't need the IV anymore, and he let her get some sleep. She laid in bed, thinking about tomorrow. She wanted to stay. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because she wanted to prove to Shane that she wasn't worthless. Or maybe it was because of Daryl.


	6. Chapter 6

_ "What ya got there?" She asked as the young girl ran up to her with a piece of paper in her hand. The girl handed her the piece of paper. It was a page torn from a coloring book with a picture of Belle, the Disney princess, colored completely outside of the lines. "This is wonderful! How about I go hang this up on the fridge?"_

_ "Okay, Mommy," the little girl said as she followed her mother into the kitchen. She watched as her mother put the picture up next to another coloring book picture of Buzz Lightyear, a drawing of the sky and grass, and a drawing of a stick figure family._

_ "Daddy's going to be home soon, then we're going to eat dinner, okay?" asked the young woman, brushing a piece of hair from the girl's face. The girl nods and runs off to draw another picture. _

_ The woman opens the fridge and bends down to look inside. She grabs some vegetables and closes the door. A man is there next to her, and she screams out of fright. The man wasn't a man at all. His flesh was falling off of the bone, and his eyes were white and lifeless. He lunges at her, and she screams._

Jen wakes with a start. It was the third time she has had this dream since the world went to shit. The sun is shining through her window, and she could tell that it was early afternoon. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to get the thought of the dream out of her mind. She shifts her gaze outside, and sees everyone outside. They look so happy, like they're trying not to think too much about what's out there.

She grabs her bag and prepares to leave. She walks to the front door, takes a deep breath, and walks out. The wooden door slams shut behind her, and everyone stops what they're doing to look at her. She walks towards the camp, waiting for them to tell her that she has to leave. Rick walks up to her, looks at the rest of his group, and then looks at Jen.

"Did you sleep well?" he asks.

"I slept a bit later than I thought," she joked. Rick smiled.

Rick stood there for a second without saying anything. He looked down at the ground, then looked back up at her. "I'm just going to get to the point. We all talked this morning about you staying with us."

_Here it comes,_ Jen thought.

"First of all, my first priority is keeping this group safe. We took this into consideration when we made our decision. We have decided to give you a chance, but only one. If the safety of my people is threatened by you, you're going to have to leave."

Jen smiled. "Really? You'll let me stay?" She couldn't believe it. She was expecting them to kick her to the curb. She didn't want to feel dependent on these people, but she did. They have survived this long, so they must be doing something right.

"Yes, but we have a few rules. One, you must help out around the group. Two, you must be able to defend yourself. Can you shoot a gun?"

"No, sir, I can't. But I can use a knife."

"You'll learn to shoot a gun. Nothing personal. Everyone here learned as well."

"Yes, sir."

"Three," he continued, "you will not leave the camp without either telling someone first or having someone accompany you. Like I said before, safety is our first priority. Now, we're giving you only one chance. Remember that."

"I understand. I won't disappoint you. Thank you," Jen held out her hand. Rick took it and smiled, looking relieved that I didn't put up a fight. Jen turned to the rest of the group, remembering that they made the decision too. "Thank you all." There was a mixture of thank yous, nods, and smiles.

No one was sure what to do next, so they just stood there for a while. An older woman who was hanging up wet clothes spoke up. "Would you like some breakfast?" she asked.

"I would love some." Once Jen sat down, everyone resumed their activities. The woman brought Jen a plate of food. Jen wasn't sure what it was. She tried not to think about it as she took a bite. "I'm Jen."

The woman smiled. "I'm Carol. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too. Would you like some help with that?" Jen noticed that Carol has three more baskets of clothes to hang up.

"I wouldn't mind it."

Jen finished her meal, and Lori told her to put the plate next to the fire pit and that she would get it. Jen thanked her and joined Carol at the clothesline.

"So, Jen, tell me about yourself," Carol said after a few minutes of awkward silence.

Jen smiled, then frowned thinking about her past. "I was born and raised in the city."

"A city girl?" said Lori from where she was seated schooling Carl.

Jen laughed. "Yep. A city girl. How 'bout that, huh? A city girl who loved being a city girl. My parents were happy and raised me well. Shit, I miss them. I don't even know what happened to them. I grew up in New York, and moved down to Georgia when I got married, so I never got to see them." Jen froze thinking about how she never knew what happened to her parents. Carol and Lori, who was still listening, went silent as well.

Carol broke the silence. "So, you were married?"

"Yeah. His name was Kyle, and he was wonderful. We got married because I was pregnant. We were so young and so in love." Jen laughed at the memories. "One time, for Valentine's Day, he left me a scavenger hunt of little notes around the house that ended with him standing with a dozen roses and a box of chocolates." The women laughed together. Jen felt comfortable around them.

Carl had finished his work, and went to talk with his dad. The three women sat and swapped stories. "That reminds me of this time when Rick tried to make dinner for Valentine's Day," Lori started. "He completely surprised me. Red table cloth, candles, wine, the whole works. He worked so hard on it, but it tasted horrible!" Lori was laughing hard now. "Rick can't cook to save his life."

"You know what I miss?" Jen asked. "Watching Disney movies." Both Carol and Lori agreed. "My daughter loved Beauty and the Beast. God, I watched that movie at least twenty times. Back then, I hated it so much, but now, I'd give anything to sit and watch it with her." Jen's voice got quiet. She could feel tears forming, and her throat was closing. She didn't want anyone to ask, because she didn't want to talk about it. The two women noticed, and Lori put a hand on Jen's shoulder. Neither dared to ask what was wrong.

Carol tried to lighten the mood. "Sophia loved The Little Mermaid. Wouldn't stop singing the songs." Jen laughed and blinked away tears.

"Look at this stuff. Isn't it neat?" Jen started singing. She would sing to her daughter before bed. This song was one of her favorites, next to Beauty and the Beast.

"Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?" Carol added quietly. The women laughed. They were becoming fast friends. She loved it.

Rick came up to the three of them, and let them know that they were going to go out searching. Rick, Daryl, Shane, and T-Dog (she had overheard his name from a different conversation) were walking towards the woods in pairs when Jen got curious.

"What are they searching for?" she asked.

The two women were silent. It wasn't a 'what' they were looking for. It was a 'who'. Carol took a deep breath and quickly said, "Sophia."

Jen's stomach dropped. She can only imagine how Carol feels. "Oh, Carol, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," she stopped there.

"No, it's fine. Really."

Jen wanted to cry. She wanted to cry for Carol. At least Jen has some closure. Carol must be holding onto the last shred of hope left in this world. They finished hanging the clothes, and moved on to making lunch.

Jen watched Carol as she worked. She knew that Carol was breaking inside. Jen had gone through it too. She felt confident that they would find Sophia. They had to.

For the rest of the day, Jen helped out with whatever needed help doing. At one point, she helped Maggie feed the horses. At another, she was helping cook dinner and helping fold the clothes that were out drying all day. Jen really felt like a part of the group, even though it has only been one day. They have taken her in and helped her get used to the routines. Jen understood why they seemed to forget about the horrible world around them. They had it good, but she wondered how long that would last.


	7. Chapter 7

It had been a few days since Jen officially joined the group. She had been fufilling her part of the bargain and helping out around the group. She hadn't learned to shoot a gun yet, but she figured that Rick would teach her when he saw fit. They had been too busy looking for Sophia that she didn't expect to learn until things calmed down. Jen had been sharing a tent with Carol, who generously gave up her privacy to give Jen a place to sleep.

It was early, and the sun had been in the sky for only a couple of hours. Everyone was standing around eating breakfast. No one talked, and Jen guessed it was for two reasons. One, it was the morning and everyone was tired, and two, their search efforts have been useless. Jen wanted to help them search, but she couldn't shoot a gun, and she figured she should stay with Carol.

Jen watches Glenn stand up, looking very distressed. Glenn clears his throat and addresses the group. "Umm, guys?" Everyone stops and looks at him. He looked nervous, like he had to say something, but he couldn't. "The barn's full of walkers."

Silently, the camp looks at Glenn for any sign that he was joking. If he was joking, it looked as if Rick would kill Glenn himself. After the initial shock wears off, everyone stands up and heads to the barn to investigate.

_Holy shit,_ Jen thinks. _Were there really marchers in the barn?_ Jen stays at the back of the group on account of how she didn't have a weapon. She watches as Shane walks up to the barn doors, his gun ready. Behind him, Rick has his gun aimed at the door, and Daryl does the same with his crossbow. The suspense as Shane looks between the doors can be felt throughout the group.

When Shane confirmed what Glenn had said, Jen wasn't sure what to think. She thought that it was ironic that they thought she was a threat when the threat was right under their noses. Her brain was clouded with worst case scenarios. _What if they got out? How would she defend herself? What if Hershel made them leave?_ Through her thoughts, she could hear Rick shouting something about talking to Hershel before making any rash decisions, and Dale saying something about how Hershel thought that they were just sick and could somehow be saved.

Jen ran her hands through her hair and walked back to the camp. She exhaled, just not realizing that she had been holding her breath. To be honest, she was scared. Everyone except Shane returns to the camp to talk things over. Shane stays at the barn to keep watch. For a while, no one says anything. Daryl mumbles something about having to find Sophia and walks off to the stables. Carol chases after him, but Jen isn't sure what she says.

Jen shifts her gaze to Rick and Lori who are talking in whispers. Lori looks extremely worried, and talking as if she's asking Rick to do something immediately.

"I'll talk to Hershel when the time's right," he tells her. "I'm not going to walk into his house and confront him right now."

Jen tunes out the conversation and distracts herself with cleaning up the dishes from breakfast since everyone had lost their appetites.

* * *

It was early afternoon, and Jen joins Dale during his watch. He, like always, is perched on top of his RV in a lawn chair. She climbs the ladder and stretches out on top on the roof, using her arm to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun. "Anything new up here?" she asks.

"Nothing," Dale responds, bored.

"What do you think about the whole "marchers in the barn" thing?"

"I understand why Hershel did it. I just don't agree with it. We can't just go in there and kill them all because that would be disrepectful, but we can't just sit here and pretend this isn't happening."

"Exactly. The safety of the group is in question. I'm trusting Rick to make the right decision when he talks to Hershel. I like to think he made the right decision with me."

"I trust we made the right decision with you."

"Thanks, Dale." Jen smiled. She really liked Dale, the voice of reason. "I think I'm going to need those gun lessons now."

Dale laughed. "I think you're right."

Jen sat up and looked at the camp. She could see it all from up here. She noticed that neither Carol nor Daryl were back yet. "Have you seen Carol or Daryl since this morning?"

Dale thought for a moment. "I can't say I have. Must've gone for a walk or something."

"Must have," Jen agreed.

* * *

A few hours later, Daryl and Carol had returned, and Rick was organizing another search for Sophia. Jen sat with Carol next to the fire pit. "So what was that all about?" Jen asked.

"What?"

"The whole Daryl thing?"

"Oh. He was going to go look for Sophia, but with his injuries, I figured that he shouldn't go alone."

"Injuries? He doesn't look injured."

"Well last time he went out alone, he fell off of his horse and landed on an arrow. He was out there for a long time, surviving on his own. When he found his way back to camp, he was all dirty, tired, and injured. He just wasn't himself. And from the RV, Andrea mistook him for a walker and shot him."

"She shot him?" Jen looked at Daryl, who showed no signs of any distress. "Why doesn't he rest?"

"He doesn't want people's sympathy, so he doesn't give them a reason to give it."

Suddenly, gunshots are heard in the distance, and everyone looks in the direction of the barn. Rick, Hershel, and Jimmy, a boy from the farm, are holding back marchers while Shane shoots at them. Jen quickly runs towards the action along with everyone else. Shane is beyond anger at this point, he has become a monster.

Jen's mind is moving in slow motion as Shane runs up to the barn and opens the doors. The marchers locked up in the barn are hungry for the taste of fresh, living flesh, and they file out of the barn in a mob. "Get back!" Daryl yells to no one in particular, probably to the ones without weapons. Jen watches in horror as they take down the marchers one by one. When one falls, another one comes out of the barn. It was an seemingly endless cycle.

After what feels like an hour, all of the marchers are dead, littering the ground in front of the barn. In the silence, they hear another growl come from inside the barn. They all look up, weapon's raised, to find a young girl walk out of the barn. The group gasps, and Carol runs to the girl. Daryl grabs her and holds her as she falls to the ground screaming her daughter's name. _Sophia. _Jen falls to her knees, reliving her own experience. She begins crying and clenches the part of the shirt in front of her heart. She wept for Carol. She wept for herself. But most of all, she wept for the undead girl, now dead in front of the barn with the others.


	8. Chapter 8

_She wept for Carol. She wept for herself. But most of all, she wept for the undead girl, now dead in front of the barn with the others._

* * *

Jen felt a hand grab her arm, pulling her up. "Hey, are you alright?" Dale asked, still holding onto her arm. She pulled her arm out of his grip and walked back to the camp as quickly as she could. She was trying to hold back as much as she could, even though she could feel the tears falling down her face. She hid inside of the tent she shared with Carol, and she let loose. She cried. Not the quiet, gentle crying, but the ugly, loud, hiccupping crying. She heard the tent open, but she didn't feel like turning around to see who it was.

Carol's voice came from behind her. "How did she die?" Carol was still crying, and Jen wasn't sure why she wanted to hear her story. Jen took a deep breath, gathered herself, and looked up at Carol. "I want to know. I want to know that I'm not alone."

Jen stood up and embraced Carol. They both cried, Carol more than her. Jen just held her and let her cry. Carol was so distraught that she could barely stand, so Jen led her to the bed and sat her down, not once letting go of her. Jen knew what she needed, and she needed to cry. She needed to grieve for her daughter.

Carol's cries became quieter, and she loosened her hold on Jen. She sat up, and looked Jen in the eyes. Her voice was slurred from the crying. "How did she die?"

Jen brushed her hand across Carol's face, and Carol rested her head on Jen's shoulder, still crying. Jen told her her story.

* * *

_Jen sat at her desk. She was on the phone, booking another appointment at the law firm that she worked at. She worked the front desk, not the most exciting job. She hung up the phone. It was the end of the day, but Jen had to stay late and file papers._

_ "See ya tomorrow, Jen," said John, an assistant that she worked with._

_ "See you," Jen replied, waving bye as he walked out the large glass doors at the front of the building. Jen glanced at the television muted in the waiting room, and saw a panicked news reporter on the street talking very fast. Jen quickly grabbed the remote on her desk and unmuted it._

_ "There seems to be some sort of attack," the reporter said. "People eating other people. Get a shot of it!" The camera panned to show a group of five or six men crowded around what appeared to be another man. Expect those men didn't look like men at all. Their clothes were ripped and covered in blood. One of them only had one arm!_

_ Jen called out to whomever was left in the building. She kept calling until her boss, Eileen, came running down the hall into the waiting room. Jen looked back at the television, and Eileen did the same. They watched as the news reporter continued to document what was happening._

_ "Oh my god, Phil," the news reporter said, talking to the cameraman. "We've got to get out here!" Just as the reporter said that, a woman came up behind her and took a bite out of her neck. Blood poured down her body as the woman knocked her down and kept biting chunks out of the reporter. The cameraman dropped the camera and ran. They could only hear the screams of the reporter as she was eaten alive._

_ "What the fuck is going on!?" yelled Eileen._

_ "I've got to get home," Jen said as she grabbed her bag and took out her cell phone. She dialed her house as she ran outside and to her car. She held the ringing phone to her shoulder with her head as she fumbled with her car keys, looking around for any sign of those monsters. She finally got the right key and unlocked the door, got inside, and slammed the door shut. She immediately locked the doors and put the keys in the ignition._

_ "Hi, you've reached the voicemail of-," Jen screamed and threw her phone into the passengers seat. She started the car and drove to her house as fast as possible. She wasn't the only one trying to get home; the streets were full of cars trying to get home to their loved ones. No cars were moving, and there were even cars on the side of the road. Jen honked her horn repeatedly before she decided to get out of her car and run. Her house was only a few streets down, and she ran as fast as she could to her husband and little girl._

_ Once she reached her house, she ran inside calling out their names. "Kyle! Alice!" She ran through the rooms in search of her family. "Kyle! Alice!" she yelled louder. She ran up the stairs two at a time and looked in every room frantically. They wouldn't leave without her, she knew that. She looked into her daughter's room and found her husband crouching on the ground. "Oh my god, Kyle."_

_ Her husband turned around and looked at her. His eyes were white and lifeless. His face and shirt were covered in blood. She looked down at the floor in front of him and saw the remains of what was once their daughter, before she was ripped open and gutted. Jen screamed and ran out of the room. She could hear the grunts and hisses of her husband following her, and she continued screaming._

_ Jen ran to the kitchen and grabbed the largest knife from the knife block. She turn around to face the door of the kitchen, waiting for her husband. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her brain was calculating a hundred possibilities. She heard the growls outside the door, and he appeared, limping his way into the kitchen. She felt her legs give out underneath her, and she held onto the counter for balance._

_ "Please, Kyle," she tried to communicate. "Please don't make me do this." She pleaded with him, but she knew that he couldn't hear her. She knew this wasn't her husband. He continued to limp towards her, his arms outstretched. Once he was close enough, he grabbed her shoulder and lunged towards her. She raised the knife and sunk it into his head with a sickening thud. She watched as the body of her husband fell to the ground, the knife still in his skull. Jen fell to her knees, screaming. She was covered in blood, her husband's blood and her daughter's blood. She began to cry along with her screams. She knew that she was alone now. She was alone, and she had no idea what was happening. She just knew she had to survive._

* * *

Jen stopped there, not realizing that she was crying again. Carol was still crying, quietly though. She didn't say anything. How could she? What was she going to say? "I'm sorry"? Carol knew that an apology wasn't going to help. They sat in silence, grieving for their lost children.

Jen heard someone approach the tent. "Jen?" Maggie asked. Carol sat up from Jen's shoulder, and Jen got up to see what she wanted. Jen opened the tent, and looked at Maggie. "Have you seen my father?" She asks, panicked. "Beth's gone into shock, and we can't find him anywhere."

"Oh my gosh, is Beth alright? I haven't seen your father since…" Jen stopped there. After all, Carol was still in the tent. Jen looked back at Carol who gave her an approving nod. Jen left the tent and began walking towards the house with Maggie.

"She just collapsed. She's got a fever, and I'm just not experienced like my father. Would you mind watching over her for a little?"

"No, I wouldn't mind at all."

"Thank you," she said as they walk into the house. Maggie leads her to the bedroom where Beth was at. Beth was lying in bed, frozen, staring at the ceiling. She looked ill, but she had just watched her mother die. There was a chair in the far corner of the room, and Jen quietly walked over to it. She sat down and stared at Beth. She watched her chest rise and fall and her eyes blink, but everything else seemed so distant. She hoped they would find Hershel soon.

* * *

After a while, Maggie returned to the room, and told Jen that Rick and Glenn had gone into town looking for Hershel. She wanted to sit with Beth in private, so Jen walked outside and looked around camp. Everyone was depressed, which was understandable. She spotted Daryl sitting alone in the distance and decided to go talk to him.

Her footsteps were loud against the grass, but Daryl never once looked up to see who was there. Jen stopped in front of him and watched as he made arrows for his crossbow with sticks and a hunting knife. He didn't look at her.

"I'm sorry," said Jen.

"What ya 'pologizing to me for?" He continued his work.

"I don't know. You spent so much time looking for her." Silence. "It's hard… for all of us."

Daryl sunk his knife into the ground, irritated. He stood up, and yelled at her."Listen here, lady! You don't know nothing about me or Sophia or this group! Don't come over here actin' like you feel bad. You didn't know Sophia. You don't know the shit we went through to find her. You don't know nothin'!"

Jen was surprised and a little hurt that he yelled at her. "I was just trying to be polite. I felt bad…"

"I don't need your sympathy! None of us do! Stop actin' like you're a part of this group! You're not!"

Jen took a step back, appalled. Didn't he fight for her to be in this group? She understood that he was upset, but that didn't give him the right to be so rude. Jen felt angry, but she wasn't going to start something by yelling back.

She turned on her heels and began walking back to camp. Daryl didn't say anything as she walked away, and she didn't care to look back. She was hurt, she'll admit it. She couldn't remember the last time someone yelled at her. When she walked back into the tent, Carol was gone. Jen stepped back out to go look for her, but then decided against it. Carol was a grown woman who had to do what she needed to do.

Jen laid down on her bed and grabbed the book that was lying next to it. She stole it from the house, but she figured it wasn't a big deal. She opened the book and read. Except she wasn't really reading. She was reading the words, but her mind was elsewhere. _Daryl was a complicated man. First, he gives her a chance to be a part of the group, and then he tells her the opposite. If the walkers in the barn were there without us knowing, then how many could be around us in the woods? What if we get attacked? I haven't learned to shoot a gun yet. Rick has more important things to worry about right now. If I have to, I'll just use a knife. I've done it before. _Jen decided that it was useless to think about that right now, and she actually began reading, completely unaware of the world about to unfold outside of the tent.


End file.
